Man talks about deadly self defense shooting

GRAND RAPIDS (WZZM) - As the gun debate continues, a local man is speaking out about self defense. He shot and killed a man after nearly being attacked at a Grand Rapids gas station.

Glenn Tett says he is not proud of what happened back in February 2008, but is thankful to be alive. In his first public interview, he described the events leading up to the shooting.

"The video shows I didn't approach him, I was ready to leave. I was turned around to leave, he came up behind me."

The man in the video, was Gabriel Rodriguez, an employee at the gas station.

"His fiancé or girlfriend, I didn't know their relationship, she was my best friend's little sister. So she was like a little sister to me. I gave her a ride one day and he saw her get into my truck."

Rodriguez thought his girlfriend was having an affair with Tett, who was married at the time and still is. Over the next month, he says Rodriguez harassed him. On February 18, he was approached at the gas station. Tett says Rodriguez was angry and tried to calm him down.

"All I seen was something huge and gray. I tried to scream stop and pulled my gun and shot."

Tett says it happened within a few seconds. Rodriguez was shot and killed. Over the next few weeks, Tett was criticized, even accused of getting special treatment because his brother is a police officer.

"Everything was on my mind. I couldn't sleep. The radio station attacking me and my brother. It weighed heavy on me."

The Kent County Prosecutor ultimately decided that Tett was defending himself from Rodriguez' attack. In March 2008, Prosecutor Bill Forsythe said, "Unfortunately for the family, he's the one who started this. He bent down and started to assault him. Unfortunately, he assaulted someone who had a gun."

Five years later, Tett says he still thinks about the Rodriguez family and feels bad about what happened. But, if faced with the same situation, he would defend himself again.